'How I build my body' Tia Norton

Meet the elite after swapping tennis for padel in 2015, Tia Norton has risen quickly through the ranks to become the British Women’s No.1 padel player. Since making her professional debut on the World Padel Tour in 2021, she has become the first British woman to win a match on the tour.

- By Joanna Ebsworth

MY JOURNEY

‘I started playing tennis from the age of seven but kept getting invited to try padel at a club in Birmingham. I had no idea what it was, but I finally went along when I was 12. In its simplest form, padel is a mix between tennis and squash. There’s a net in the middle and you’re surrounded by walls, so there’s a real variety of shots you can play, and it can be very fast and frantic when you’re starting out. Padel is always played in doubles, and you need 360-degree vision to know when to let the ball go behind you. I felt a lot of frustration with the walls in the beginning, but I really enjoyed myself and, a few weeks later, I was invited to the GB Junior Team trials where I got selected to play for the Under-14s. I went to the Mexico World Championships after a few months and, surprisingly, managed to reach the quarter finals. Soon afterwards, I had to decide between tennis and padel because I was mixing shots between the two. I chose padel, and here we are!

‘Being a relatively new sport to the UK at the time, my journey was quite tough in the beginning because the coaches and other players weren’t necessarily available for me to get the experience I needed. I played with men and competed in male tournaments in the UK until the age of 15, and during school term time, I’d fly to Spain on a Friday after school with my mum or dad to train, then fly home on a Monday morning and go straight to school. The sport has grown immensely since then, which is incredible to see. The LTA (Lawn Tennis Association) are on-board, and the right infrastructure is being put in place. Competitively, seeing new players coming through is very exciting for me.’